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Course Highlights

Thermal management has become a critical aspect in the design of contemporary electronic systems. Power dissipation levels have grown due to increased functionality and greater degrees of integration, and careful thermal design is imperative in order to meet today’s stringent requirements for reliability. A theoretical basis is used to establish useful design techniques, and these techniques are illustrated through a set of six practical case studies. The cases span a range of applications from portable devices and consumer products to telecommunications rack systems and industrial power sets. Each case will include a review of relevant theory and the application of contemporary tools and techniques to achieve a successful thermal design.

You will learn how to:

Day 1

Introduction

Thermal Management

Power Trends and Environmental Loads

Energy Considerations

Overview of Course

Principles of Heat Transfer

Conduction

Convection – The Boundary Layer

Radiation

Electro-Thermal Analogues

Case Study 1: Portable Devices

Hand Held Communications Device

Component and PCB Level Cooling

Component Characteristics

Compact Models

Factors of Influence for Natural and Forced Convection Cooling

Conductive Heat Spread in PCBs Current Carrying Capability

Thermal Design Guidelines for PCBs

Case Study 2: Consumer Products

Set Top Unit

Temperature Effects and Reliability

Contemporary Reliability Models

Influence of Temperature

Failure Physics Approach

Heat Sinks

Overview

Natural Convection Heat Sinks

Forced Convection Heat Sinks

Day 2

Case Study 3:

Outdoor Systems

Base Station for Telecommunications

System Cooling

Fan and System Characteristics

Fan Location

PCB and Fan Interactions

Cooling at Altitude

Case Study 4: Telecomms Rack Systems

Fan Tray Design and Air Distribution

Case Study 5: Power Systems

Heat Sink for Power Module

Case Study 6: Fan Cooled Systems

Fan Cooled Distribution System

Acoustic Noise

Definitions

Noise Sources and Minimization

Case Study

Heat Pipes and Liquid Cooling

Liquid Properties

Heat Pipe Fundamentals and Application Notes

Pipe Flow and Pump Characteristics

Primary and Secondary Heat Exchange

Temperature Measurement

Airflow and Pressure Measurement

Acoustic Noise Characterization

Thermal Management Trends

Drivers and Challenges

Key Technologies

Thermal Design Tools

Course Information

Intended for

Hardware engineers, particularly those working on high power or temperature sensitive applications such as telecommunications, computing or power systems.

Engineers and managers with responsibility for the thermal design of electronics

Engineers interested in the challenges currently faced by leading electronics companies